Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. The period leading up to this special day of love and romance is one of the busiest periods of the year for online dating networks. Busier online dating networks mean a greater likelihood you will meet a suitable match.

Online Dating has become a normal part of society and the stigma once attached to it has disappeared. As it continues to sweep the world, how can you best use Valentine’s Day – the traditional day in the calendar when love is celebrated worldwide – to improve your online dating success?

Of course, expressions of love can be forced, as Valentine’s Day falls on a specific date every year – the 14th of February. Some people say that capitalism was the impure driving force behind this special day being created and Valentine’s Day has certainly become more commercial in the past few years, with restaurants and stores upping their prices around this period and selling more Valentine’s Day themed merchandise – items such as teddy bears, mugs, balloons and heart-shaped sweets and chocolates – even sex toys!

Single folk flock to the online dating scene as the desire for love becomes a more prominent theme in modern day society. The three films in the Fifty Shades of Grey film trilogy were all released in the cinema around Valentine’s Day, so this played on the commercial nature of this special day. It also helped Valentine’s Day to become even more popular. When the original Fifty Shades of Grey film was released in Australia, one effect it had was a surge in the sales of sex toys– sales increased by more than 30 per cent!

I think Valentine’s Day is actually a great chance to express your feelings and show someone how much you love and care for them. With all the hatred in the world today, love is more welcome than ever before.

Valentine’s Day comes with traditional expressions, such as dinner for two, the gift of gift roses, spending quality time together, acts of service, words of affirmation and sending each other cards and loving messages. The underlying sense of meaning for this day comes from connecting with our partner(s) in loving ways.

This special day can also help along budding relationships and can even spark life into and/or rekindle relationships which have gone off track.

Everyone is different and people channel acts of love differently, but above all, you should maintain respect and honesty with your partner or lover, something we are seeing played out in a big way at the moment with the #metoo movement. Respect supports connection and quality connection is what gives life meaning!

You do need to take safety precautions though, as an increase in the number of online dating users around Valentine’s Day also sees an increase in the number of #romancescammers and #catfish who go online pretending to be someone they’re not, usually with the main aim of stealing your hard earned cash. Don’t let them!

Even a casual date on Valentine’s Day will be enhanced with a sense of being ‘special’ because it falls on 14th February. Take advantage of this! Everybody loves to feel special and a lot of people adore holiday and anniversary celebrations. Why not ask someone out so you can enjoy this special day together? What’s the harm in showing someone love and affection? Afterall, love is what makes the world go around.

For more advice about online dating, including how you can spot a romance scammer, where you should go on a first date, what to write in your profile, how to make a good first impression and much more, my book, Love At First Swipe, is available to buy on Amazon and through all other leading book stockists.